


Present Fears

by Annariel



Series: Season 2b [5]
Category: Primeval
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Timeline, Female Protagonist, POV Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-13
Updated: 2010-08-13
Packaged: 2017-10-11 01:56:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/107049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annariel/pseuds/Annariel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Still reeling from the events at the House of Commons, the team find themselves summoned to an anomaly in the Norfolk fens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Present Fears

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Luka for beta-reading.

"It's going to be massive," insisted Abby. "The organisers think at least ten thousand people are going to be marching through London. We have to be there."

"We'll just be three more people, Abby," said Connor. "I'm not saying we shouldn't go, but it's illegal and an anomaly might open."

"But don't you see Connor? We're not just three people. We're the anomaly team. If we're there it will show that we don't believe the anomalies have anything to do with Al-Qaeda or terrorists. That's important."

Helen shook her head. "It's a trap."

"Don't be ridiculous. What do you mean, a trap?"

"Lucia isn't fighting the plans enough. She's expecting something to happen. I don't think anyone should go."

"We can't not go!" Abby's face was a picture of disappointment. "This is important."

Helen turned on her heel to leave the room. "I'm not ordering anyone, one way or another. I'm just saying it's going to end badly."

# Present Fears

_Present fears_

_  
Are less than horrible imaginings_

William Shakespeare - Macbeth

"What's the problem?"

Helen looked up, surprised to see Jenny standing in her lab. "No problem."

"Yes there is. You've been popping up and checking the anomaly detector for two weeks."

Helen shrugged. "It's been quiet. That's all."

Jenny sat down elegantly and leaned on the lab bench. "No it's not."

"What's your interest anyway?"

It was Jenny's turn to shrug. "I like to know what you're up to."

Helen eyed her thoughtfully, wondering how far she could trust her. But then Jenny wanted Nick back, right? So that gave her leverage. "There are missing anomalies."

"Missing anomalies?"

"Anomalies that should have opened, but didn't."

Jenny frowned. "I'm supposed to be keeping you away from the physicists."

"A task at which you have excelled." Helen could hear the waspishness in her voice.

Jenny smirked ever so slightly. "Of course, nothing stops me talking to them. Any idea what I should ask?"

Helen was surprised, but she kept forgetting Jenny could focus and prioritise. For now, it seemed, they were on the same side. "I'll think about it and let you know."

The siren sound of the anomaly detector echoed through the building. "Where to now, I wonder?" asked Jenny.

"The Fens, if everything is as it should be."

* * *

The anomaly was hanging over a shallow mere. The location appeared deceptively remote but Helen knew from the map that the village of Little Bucknall was only half a mile away. A combination of fog and a mild drizzle made it impossible to see.

"Slater, get some teams searching the area. See if there are any traces of something getting out," Helen ordered. "Connor, any chance of a robot working over this terrain?"

"Not a hope," said Connor dismally. He was standing in front of the anomaly with his hands thrust into his pockets. Helen noticed that his trainers were already covered in mud. Abby, standing next to him, was more practically dressed in a waterproof jacket and wellingtons. Jenny had refused to even get out of the car.

Helen tramped off to where Slater - the oldest Slater - had sent his two younger counterparts off in separate directions leading small teams. Blade was still on sick leave. Helen hardly knew the man, but he had been a member of Lyle's team. That meant Lyle trusted him, which meant Lester trusted him, which in some strange way meant Helen trusted him a lot more than Slater.

Helen watched the soldiers vanishing into the mist. "Staying here to keep an eye on us, Lieutenant?" she asked.

"Actually I was wanting a word with you," said Slater.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I want to get rid of Lucia and I'm fairly sure you do too."

"Do you mind if I ask why?"

"My son was on a school trip four weeks ago. To the House of Commons."

"I didn't know." Helen kept her voice neutral. She didn't do sympathy and, anyway, this could easily be a trap.

"He doesn't yet either." Slater nodded after his younger self's retreating back. "My bitch of an ex-wife had a restraining order out. Managed not to let me know for six months."

"And what has this got to do with me?" Helen still wasn't sure she believed him.

"You came from a time line where Lucia wasn't in charge of the anomaly project. One where Nick Cutter didn't die. You're trying to put it back."

"I am, am I?"

Slater shrugged. "That's what your confession said, before you were executed."

"Really?" Helen felt a small knot of excitement. She sensed now the kind of weapon she was being handed.

"If you go back and stop Lucia, then the House of Commons anomaly confluence won't open. 'Cos she made that happen."

"Do you know how?"

"Some machine in the physics section. That's the rumour. Handy for her that all the physicists got killed."

"I'm still not sure I believe you." Helen smiled, challenging him to prove his point.

"Get your friend Connor to poke around the casualty lists and restraining order databases. I imagine he can verify that I had a son easily enough."

Helen nodded. "I'll do that."

"Might be worth getting him to wipe some records while he's about it. I don't want Lucia making the connection."

Helen nodded again. The man had clearly been thinking about this a long time. But then, she thought as she turned and headed back to Connor and Abby, people did plot revenge slowly and carefully.

* * *

"So," said Abby glancing around gloomily in the drizzle. "We wait."

"Yeah," said Connor.

Abby shivered, suddenly feeling Stephen's absence keenly. "What do we do if something comes out of the anomaly?"

Connor looked over at Helen and Slater. "There's them," he said.

Abby looked at the two figures, deep in conversation and didn't feel reassured.

"And you!" said Connor, unexpectedly.

"What?" she asked vaguely.

"You. You have a gun. You know about tranquilisers. We'll be fine." Connor smiled reassuringly at her. In the gloom it felt like a ray of sunshine.

"Yeah, we will." She mustered a smile.

Connor turned back to the anomaly. "Of course, if it's large, one tranquiliser dart won't be enough." His tone sounded light.

"No," agreed Abby.

Connor grinned. "Lots of running, I expect."

Abby smiled and then, in a spontaneous moment of daring slipped one hand into his. Connor glanced at her with a surprised look and then grinned again.

Abby leaned close and looked out over the muddy pool with the anomaly hanging over it. It was then she became aware of a pair of raised eyes just above the water about a thirty centimetres or so apart. They were less than a metre away from herself and Connor, and heading straight for them.

Instinctively she took a step backwards, pulling Connor with her and drew the tranquiliser gun. A huge triangular head rose out of the water and a large jaw gaped. Abby shot. The jaw snapped shut, two tusk-like teeth at the front poking up through what looked like nostrils.

"Oh boy! Mastodonsaurus!" said Connor.

"How big?" asked Abby, squinting into the water behind the jaws.

"Not sure, couple of metres maybe."

"With a head that large?"

Connor shrugged. "They're mostly head. Amphibians, though, so it can probably get out of the water."

"Probably?"

Abby backed away further, dragging Connor with her. The brief glimpse suggested it had short stubby legs, splayed out on either side. It probably wasn't a fast runner. She began loading a second dart into her gun. If the Mastodonsaurus was only a couple of metres long she thought, running a rough calculation in her head... At that moment the head slumped down on the edge of the pond.

"I got the tranquiliser about right, at least" she said.

* * *

Getting the Mastodonsaurus back through the anomaly proved to be a difficult and exceedingly damp exercise. Eventually it took three soldiers, up to their chests in the water. Helen was with them struggling with the beast when she saw a man in a flat cap and Barbour striding up the soggy track. Even as she watched, Jenny emerged from the four-by-four and intercepted him. Her thin heels sank into the muddy track. Helen turned her attention back to the soldiers and the Mastodonsaurus. Jenny would handle the public better than she would.

When she waded out of the pond Jenny was waiting for her on the bank.

"Trouble?" asked Helen.

"'Fraid so. He's some local bigwig. I think chins have been wagging and he volunteered himself to come and check us out."

"What did you tell him?"

"Anomaly, government response team, all under control. He asked if there are more creatures."

"Wouldn't we all like to know."

Jenny nodded. "Turns out there have been a couple of sightings and some excitable talk of crocodiles. There's a waterway flows into this lake. Sounds like we need to check it out. Luckily for us Mr. Browne quite fancies himself as the local upholder of the peace. He's going to arrange to keep people away."

Jenny turned her back, clearly intent on heading back to the car.

"I know what I want you to ask the physics people," Helen said.

Jenny turned to look her in the eye, eyebrows raised. "Oh yes?"

"Yes. There's a machine. I want to know what it is."

* * *

William Slater led his team cautiously along a raised causeway next to the mere. He was generally called Junior by the squad since he was the `youngest' of the three Slaters. It wasn't a name he liked much, though he had more sense than to protest about it.

"Sir!" Lieutenant Greeves pointed ahead of them. Two eyes were just visible above the water.

"Looks like one of them things," said Slater quietly. "Where's the tranquiliser gun?"

"Here, sir!" Private Rushcliffe ran eagerly up to him.

"See if you can get a good shot at that creature."

The private knelt down and sighted along his rifle. Just as he shot, there was a sudden massive disturbance in the water.

"Holy..." began Slater.

Two of the creatures seemed to be fighting each other, letting out harsh cries of challenge.

"Sir?" asked the private.

"Shoot them both, private."

Private Rushcliffe knelt once more, loading a second dart. Slater aimed his gun at the fighting beasts, braced in case one came up the bank towards them.

Rushcliffe grunted as the dart landed. Then he pulled a third from his pouch. Suddenly Slater heard a noise behind him. He turned rapidly to see a third creature powering up the bank. He threw himself to one side, in time to see it barrel into Rushcliffe.

There was a cry and thrashing.

"Jones! Greeves!" Slater was on his feet aiming into the fray, but it was impossible to be sure where Rushcliffe was and where the creatures were. He made a guess and fired a burst into the water.

There were more cries and then silence. A moment later a large wave disturbed the surface of the mere as one of the Mastodonsauruses swam away.

At the waters' edge lay two of the creatures, either asleep or dead, and the battered body of Private Rushcliffe.

* * *

"Connor!" Connor looked up from his laptop to see Helen striding across the muddy ground towards him. She had got out of the waders, but she was still wearing wellingtons, loose canvas trousers and a practical jacket. Her short hair whipped in the breeze. She looked very at home.

"What is it?" he asked as she drew close.

"Jenny needs to work up some kind of briefing sheet to hand around local bigwigs. Can you get back to the ARC with her and help?"

"Sure." Connor frowned. Jenny was an old hand at that kind of thing. There were copies of his database on the ARC computers. He couldn't think what Helen wanted him to go for.

She sat down next to him. "While you're about it, have a dig and see if Slater had a son and if the boy died in the attack on parliament. If so, I want any records connecting Slater to the boy quietly erased. Can you do that?"

"Slater had a son in the House of Commons?"

"So he says. Check it out. If it's true erase the records and let me know."

Connor gulped. "That's pretty illegal."

Helen regarded him levelly. "You believe the attack on was Al-Qaeda?"

"No!"

"Well then, sometimes you have to act. It's a matter of choosing your moment." She wasn't looking at him, just staring out across the landscape.

"Is that what you always do? Choose when to act?" Connor couldn't help asking.

"Something like that."

"OK then. Can I tell Abby?"

Helen looked at him coolly. "If you must, but no one else. This stays small."

* * *

Helen and Abby were scouting around the edge of what could loosely be called the lake the anomaly hung over. It was more a series of ponds and puddles with muddy areas in between. The oldest Slater lurked behind them, gun at the ready.

"Don't go on that march," Helen found herself saying suddenly.

"Do you care?"

"The team needs you. If you and Connor are arrested I'll be the only person left with experience handling these creatures."

Abby looked up at her, her eyes standing out, rimmed with dark mascara. "What if only I go?"

"Connor will be frantic."

Abby nodded curtly, then she shrugged and turned away. "Sometimes you have to take a stand."

Helen made a face to her retreating back. "Not like this."

Suddenly Abby held out one arm and gestured for caution. Helen walked slowly up to her, to see what she was looking at. A Mastodonsaurus was crouched in a pile of rushes and leaves on the edge of a pond.

"She's laying eggs," whispered Abby.

"Oh no!" Helen's maternal instincts were non-existent. She wasn't particularly sentimental about animals either, but she just knew Mastodonsaurus larvae in the Fens would mean paperwork. "We'll need to gather them up somehow."

"Here, girl," Abby had picked up a large stick and was approaching the Mastodonsaurus carefully.

"What are you doing?"

"Using tranquilisers is always a bit dangerous. She seems pretty docile."

"The last one wasn't."

"That was a male." Abby turned back to the creature and began walking around it. "You're not going to harm me, girl, are you?"

"Abby!" hissed Helen in exasperation.

"Just getting a look at the spawn."

Abby was on the far side now, crouching down in the mud, clearly fascinated. "It's like frog-spawn. Looks like the eggs stick together."

"Well that's something. I hope there aren't any more spawning around here though," muttered Helen. "We need to tranquilise her and then gather up the eggs."

"I think we can move her without resorting to tranquilisation and she might be useful awake for handling that remaining male."

* * *

Government databases weren't really Connor's thing. At least, they weren't his thing when it came to illegal hacking. They definitely weren't his thing when it came to illegal hacking while emergency powers were in effect. And yet, somehow, here he was. He decided to leave poor James Slater's birth certificate untouched and focused on William Slater's personnel file. Lots of that, of course, was an official secret, given there were three of him, but the basic information was accessible to Connor's clearance level and it was simple to change "next of kin" from James Slater to none. Connor hoped that would suffice.

"Ah Connor!" He looked up in alarm to see Lester smiling genially down at him. Jenny was standing a foot or so behind him.

"What? I haven't done anything!" Connor's mind scrambled.

Lester pinched his nose and looked back at Jenny. "Are you sure this is a good idea."

"Do we have any choice?" she asked.

"What choice?" asked Connor.

Lester dropped a data stick on the table in front of him. "You have no idea how many strings I've pulled to get hold of that."

Jenny smiled from behind Connor. "The physics section have some kind of top-secret machine. We don't know much, only that all the people involved in the development were killed when the ARC was attacked. Schematics were lodged with the MoD when it was developed."

"Those are they," said Lester. "I managed to get someone concerned about the emergency powers to pull them for me. Try not to look too guilty when someone surprises you in future."

"What am I supposed to do with them?" asked Connor.

"Find out what it does and let me know, or Helen if you must," Lester sighed.

"How come you don't know already? I mean it must have been developed when you were still in charge of the whole place, right?"

Lester almost looked a little contrite. "Lucia played me. She l me think she had some bee in her bonnet, a leftover from her days as a physicist. I let her divert some of the ARC resources into a `personal project' since she was junior minister with responsibility for this place. She managed to keep me completely in the dark. If Helen hadn't somehow rustled up the fact there was some kind of top-secret machine being kept under wraps, I wouldn't even know the research had ever got anywhere."

Connor looked at Jenny who smiled sympathetically. "Just do your best Connor. It may be nothing, but something's going on in physics that Lucia wants to keep a lid on and we'd all like to know what."

Connor eyed them dubiously. It looked like things had just got a lot more dangerous and a lot more complicated than hacking a couple of personnel files.

* * *

Helen was up to her chest in muddy water again, this time with a net, scooping up Mastodonsaurus eggs and loading them into buckets. Thankfully they did seem to stick together so she had some hopes they would get them all. As she was doing so her mind ran over options for sealing and draining this area of wetland. She suspected the best they would be able to do was keep an eye on it and pray.

Meanwhile Abby seemed to have performed some kind of small miracle with the creature. She squatted near its head, crooning gently to it. It appeared pretty docile, though Helen noted that Abby still maintained a safe distance and had a stick close to hand.

They'd managed to co-opt a large truck with a cage on the back to drive the thing back to the anomaly and hopefully once there they could shove it, and its eggs back through.

"There they are!"

Helen glanced up to see about half a dozen men approaching. She also saw a couple of shotguns, a pitchfork and a baseball bat. Hurriedly she waded out of the water.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

She stood square in the pathway between the bunch of men and Abby and the Mastodonsaurus. She smiled sweetly, she hoped, though Nick had once said her smile looked like a panther when it was about to strike. They stopped, which was good. Anything to destroy their momentum.

"Get out of our way!" snarled the leader. Helen realised suddenly that it was Jenny's `local bigwig'.

"Mr Browne, isn't it? I thought you were going to help coordinate the search."

"We deal with things our way out here."

"We're the experts. We're dealing with it."

"Like you dealt with them dinosaurs in Parliament," shouted a voice from the back somewhere.

"There's only one creature here. We have a reptile expert with it. We know there's at least one other out there and that it's probably male and dangerous. What we'd like to know is if there are any others, particularly if there are any others closer to your village."

The men visibly wavered. Helen decided to hit home while she could. She stepped up close to Mr Browne, invading his personal space.

"Lucia Wright is personally concerned about the consequences of killing these creatures out of time. I have personal orders from her to minimise deaths. Now, Mr Browne, if you want to explain to the Prime Minister why, exactly, you contravened one of her personal orders, I'll be happy to let you past."

He was the leader, but he valued his status and reputation. Helen prayed she'd played the right card there. If he got stripped of whatever small-time local position gave him his perception of power, he would lose far more than the little respect backing down would cause.

"Her personal order?" he asked.

"Indeed. There is some evidence that harming these creatures can have dangerous temporal effects. The PM thinks it imperative to keep that risk at a minimum. Feel free to continue if you think you know better, but, she does have the physics background."

Helen allowed herself another smile and a secretive look and then she stepped off the path.

"Well, if the PM thinks it's right..." muttered Mr Browne.

"Only person with a good grasp on the situation, if you ask me," said someone else.

"Yeah! She knew what to do when them Muslims attacked Parliament."

There was a general murmur of agreement.

"What are you doing exactly?" asked Mr Browne. It was clearly a tactic to reassert some authority.

"We're waiting for a caged truck which will allow us to move the creature back to the anomaly."

He nodded. "That sounds sensible."

"But we really need the area well-searched for any more of them. I understand you are coordinating that."

He nodded again. "All right, lads! Let's get on with our job."

Helen watched them go.

"Thank you," said Abby as she turned back.

"I'm getting sentimental in my old age. I should have let them past," Helen grumbled. But she felt a glow of pleasure at Abby's smile.

* * *

They parked up a few hundred metres from the anomaly, which was as close as they dared without risking the truck getting stuck in the mud.

"Now what?" asked the oldest Slater.

Helen looked at Abby. "You're the reptile expert."

Abby nodded and clambered up onto the truck, next to the cage. She was still carrying her stick. "Does someone have the meat?"

One of the Slaters wordlessly handed her a Tesco's bag. He'd been sent away to purchase steak while Abby was coaxing the creature into the cage.

Abby rapped on the side of the cage with her stick. The Mastodonsaurus' head flipped towards her. "Here you are girl." Abby ripped open a packet and tossed the steak at the creature. Its head tipped sideways and it gobbled up the meat. "Good girl."

Abby held out the next bit, but kept it out of reach. She rapped on the side of the cage again with the stick. "Let's hear you ask for it." Then she hit the side of the cage again. The Mastodonsaurus opened its mouth and let out a roar.

Behind her Helen heard one of the Slaters whistle in surprised appreciation.

"Good girl!" Abby tossed the meat at the creature.

"Better start keeping a look-out!" she said.

* * *

Connor was driving Abby's mini back to Little Bucknall. Jenny had refused him one of the four by fours on the grounds he wasn't needed. But he wanted to get back to Abby and to Helen to tell them what he'd found out.

As he drove up the track to the edge of the mere, he could see a couple of the four by fours and a large cage on a flat-bed truck. It looked like everyone was around. He stepped out of the car to be greeted by a loud roaring sound. None of the soldiers looked particularly panicked though, so he ambled towards them.

He could see Abby standing on the side of the truck, next to the cage. Inside it was a large Mastodonsaurus. The soldiers were spread along the causeway, guns at the ready.

"Hello!" He waved at them all.

"Connor!" shouted Abby.

"What?"

Helen began running towards him. She was carrying a tranquiliser pistol and paused by one of the soldiers to grab another.

"What?"

"Connor, down!"

"What?"

"Down!" Helen raised the pistol.

Connor gulped and dropped face first into the mud. Helen shot twice. She had already reached him and grabbed his arms, hauling him to his feet.

"Now run!"

As she dragged him back towards the soldiers he risked a glance behind him and then ran faster. Two Mastodonsauruses were powering down the track, each with a small dart visible in its hide.

He could hear safeties clicking off as Helen dragged him through the line of soldiers.

"Wait for it," shouted Abby. "The tranquiliser should take effect any minute."

"Right behind us!" shouted Connor.

"Actually they don't move that fast, luckily for us," muttered Helen.

Connor turned and looked back again. The two Mastodonsauruses were waddling towards them and visibly slowing. Gradually they sank down onto the track.

"I thought you said there was only one male out there," muttered a William Slater in an accusatory tone.

Helen shrugged. "Talk to your younger self. He reported one got away. Talk to your men. None of them reported another sighting. I work on the information I get given."

They stared at each other a moment and then Slater blinked and turned away. Connor looked across to Abby who grinned at him from the flat bed.

* * *

Helen was sitting in the four by four drinking coffee when the anomaly closed. Abby and Connor were sitting in the back, Connor tapping away on his laptop.

"That's that, then," said Abby.

Helen nodded. "No sign of any more of those things. We can leave Jenny and the Slaters to tie up any loose ends."

"You came all the way back here for nothing." Abby nudged Connor.

"Not quite," muttered Connor. "I think I know what that machine does."

Helen twisted around in her seat. "You've analysed the schematics?"

"Yeah, some. But we can all guess. Those anomalies didn't open in the House of Commons by chance. I can't say I'm entirely on top of the theory, but everything I've seen confirms the obvious."

"It redirects anomalies. Makes them open where Lucia wants them to, probably in some specific distance and time frame from where they were supposed to open," said Helen.

"Got it in one!"

"But that's great!" said Abby excitedly. "We go public with this, we can expose her completely."

"I doubt it," said Helen, thoughtfully. "I'll run it past Lester and Jenny, but I doubt we've got enough. We don't have the machine for a start, just some top-secret blueprints."

"But we must do something!" Abby looked at Connor for confirmation.

"Oh yes!" Helen grinned. "We're going to do something. But we're not going to rush in. We're up against an expert here and she has both the press and the government in her pocket right now. We need to be very, very careful."

* * *

"Come on Connor! We'll be late!" Abby shouted up the stairs from her position by the door.

"On my way." Connor thumped down the stairs, still pulling on a coat and trailing bits of clothing and electronic devices.

Abby grinned at him nervously. "All set?"

"Yeah! What's the worst that can happen, eh? Bit of tear gas, right?"

"Right."

She opened the door and gasped in surprise. Helen stood on the other side.

"We're going to the protest," said Abby stubbornly.

"I need Connor."

"What?"

"I need Connor. I don't want to manage without you, but I can, but I can't do this without Connor and if he gets arrested then I'm stuck."

Abby narrowed her eyes at Helen. "It's just a march."

"It's a trap. I don't know what kind of trap but Lucia's a predator and I know predators. Connor's too valuable right now. I need him to stay here."

"I'm going with Abby." Abby felt a rush of pleasure as Connor stepped beside her, a look of determination on his face. At the same time her heart sank.

"No, Connor! You'd better stay. If Helen needs you... Well, she's right, there is a risk of arrest."

"Abby!" The look of rejection on his face was heart-breaking.

"Push off, Helen. You've made your point." Abby shut the door in Helen's face and turned back to Connor.

"I'm coming with you."

"Helen's probably right. She's our best bet for doing something about Lucia."

"But the protest, you said..."

"I know what I said and one of us should be there, but it doesn't need to be both of us. If Helen needs your help."

"Abby..."

Abby stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "It'll be fine, Connor. I'll be back by this evening. You'll see."

* * *

Lester had invited Helen into his office to watch the course of the protest on television. She wasn't sure why. She wasn't sure he knew why either. A desire to be with someone sympathetic when the thing played out, perhaps.

She perched on the edge of his desk, unwilling to sit down, to suggest they in anyway understood each other, that he in anyway understood her.

They watched in silence as the tear gas was followed by riot shields and batons and then the windowless trucks, appearing one after enough and driving away, each loaded with protesters. The battle raged through the streets as the protesters fought back, suddenly unwilling and scared to risk getting into those dark and sinister vans. The commentators continued to talk of insurrectionists and a process that had been hijacked. After a while Lester turned the sound down.

"I should never have agreed to keep the anomalies secret," he said.

Helen shrugged. Democracy and transparency were over-rated in her opinion. "It would have happened anyway. Even if the public had believed the anomalies to be a natural phenomenon, the attack on Westminster would have convinced them otherwise."

Lester pursed his lips and shook his head. He was unwilling to say more, even here, even in his office.

Helen looked back at the television, unwilling to admit she was searching for a flash of white-blonde hair. Lester followed her gaze.

"I had better get on the phone," he said. "Don't worry. If I can find Miss Maitland, I will. She'll be back here in no time."


End file.
